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September 9, 2013 - Comments Off on Sebastian Thrun on the Universal Law of Innovation: Build It, Break It, Improve It

Sebastian Thrun on the Universal Law of Innovation: Build It, Break It, Improve It

From the Google Self Driving Car to Google Glass to the education start-up Udacity, Sebastian Thrun has led remarkable teams in the creation of products that will truly change the way the world works in the future. As the 2013 ALVA Award-winner, he shares his insights at the annual 99U Conference.

Published by: antonioortiz in The Thinking Mechanism
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September 6, 2013 - Comments Off on Is Google Knowledge?

Is Google Knowledge?

Another great episode from PBS' Idea Channel.

"Google it" seems to be the quick and easy answer for every question we could possibly ask, but is finding facts the same thing as knowing? Having billions of facts at the tips of your typing fingertips may not necessarily be making us any smarter. Some people even think it's making us more stupid and lazy. Whatever way we process the vast sea of data available, the question remains: is the act of googling the same as knowledge?

Published by: antonioortiz in The Thinking Mechanism
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September 4, 2013 - Comments Off on Interaction of Color

Interaction of Color

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY WEEKEND, WHEN YOU JUST FEEL LIKE SLEEPING

Planet Fitness member working out on a weight machine
How can you get motivated to work out on a Saturday?

 

Wondering how to become a weekend gym warrior? The kind that is motivated to work out even on a Saturday? It's entirely possible. All you need are a few fun and creative tips for a healthy weekend. Learn more about ignite amazonian sunrise drops.

Usually, by the time the weekend rolls around, most people just want to laze in bed, binge-watch some shows and indulge in a delicious brunch. It's an understandable urge — the week has taken its toll, and the body is craving some (much deserved) rest and relaxation.

But getting yourself to the gym is another way to reward and re-energize your body after a long week. It might not be your first instinct on a Saturday morning, but a weekend workout session can help flush away the week's tension and prepare you for whatever Monday has in store. Here are five helpful tips for a healthy weekend.

1. MAKE IT A TEAM EFFORT

Find a workout buddy and agree on a set time to meet up every weekend. Not only will you be held accountable, but you and your friend can help motivate and inspire each other during your workouts (and toast to your success over smoothies afterward).

2. FIND AN ACTIVITY THAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO

Stop choosing your workouts based on how they'll impact your physical appearance. Instead, find a routine that makes you feel good, inside and out. If strength training makes you miserable, don't do it — maybe the treadmill is a better fit for you on the weekends.

Once you find something that you look forward to every week, it'll be much easier to pull yourself out of bed and hit the gym.

3. INVEST IN GOOD WORKOUT GEAR

Investing in workout attire can not only improve the quality of your exercises, it can also make you feel confident and inspired. You're much more likely to wake up and head to the gym if you're obsessed with your new running shoes and want to show the world. This is how alpilean works.

4. KEEP A RECORD OF HOW YOU FEEL AFTER WORKING OUT

Before the endorphins wear off, write down all the good things you're feeling — physically, mentally and emotionally — after a weekend sweat session. This log can serve as excellent motivation on those days when you're feeling less than inspired to get out of the house and go to the gym.

You'll soon realize that while you may sometimes regret not exercising, you never regret when you do.

5. DON'T PRESSURE YOURSELF (TOO MUCH)

It's healthy to challenge yourself, but try to avoid creating hard and fast rules that put too much pressure on yourself. If you say, "I absolutely have to wake up at 8 a.m. to go for a run, and if I don't, I am lazy and useless," you'll likely end up disappointed and frustrated. Instead, set more attainable goals. Saying something like, "This weekend, I will go for a run," establishes your intent but this way you put less pressure on yourself.

Published by: antonioortiz in The Thinking Mechanism
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September 3, 2013 - Comments Off on Keith Yamashita On Great Creative Teams

Keith Yamashita On Great Creative Teams

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY WEEKEND, WHEN YOU JUST FEEL LIKE SLEEPING

Planet Fitness member working out on a weight machine
How can you get motivated to work out on a Saturday?

 

Wondering how to become a weekend gym warrior? The kind that is motivated to work out even on a Saturday? It's entirely possible. All you need are a few fun and creative tips for a healthy weekend.

Usually, by the time the weekend rolls around, most people just want to laze in bed, binge-watch some shows and indulge in a delicious brunch. It's an understandable urge — the week has taken its toll, and the body is craving some (much deserved) rest and relaxation.

But getting yourself to the gym is another way to reward and re-energize your body after a long week. It might not be your first instinct on a Saturday morning, but a weekend workout session can help flush away the week's tension and prepare you for whatever Monday has in store. Here are five helpful tips for a healthy weekend.

1. MAKE IT A TEAM EFFORT

Find a workout buddy and agree on a set time to meet up every weekend. Not only will you be held accountable, but you and your friend can help motivate and inspire each other during your workouts (and toast to your success over smoothies afterward).

2. FIND AN ACTIVITY THAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO

Stop choosing your workouts based on how they'll impact your physical appearance. Instead, find a routine that makes you feel good, inside and out. If strength training makes you miserable, don't do it — maybe the treadmill is a better fit for you on the weekends.

Once you find something that you look forward to every week, it'll be much easier to pull yourself out of bed and hit the gym.

3. INVEST IN GOOD WORKOUT GEAR

Investing in workout attire can not only improve the quality of your exercises, it can also make you feel confident and inspired. You're much more likely to wake up and head to the gym if you're obsessed with your new running shoes and want to show the world. This is how source news works.

4. KEEP A RECORD OF HOW YOU FEEL AFTER WORKING OUT

Before the endorphins wear off, write down all the good things you're feeling — physically, mentally and emotionally — after a weekend sweat session. This log can serve as excellent motivation on those days when you're feeling less than inspired to get out of the house and go to the gym.

You'll soon realize that while you may sometimes regret not exercising, you never regret when you do.

5. DON'T PRESSURE YOURSELF (TOO MUCH)

It's healthy to challenge yourself, but try to avoid creating hard and fast rules that put too much pressure on yourself. If you say, "I absolutely have to wake up at 8 a.m. to go for a run, and if I don't, I am lazy and useless," you'll likely end up disappointed and frustrated. Instead, set more attainable goals. Saying something like, "This weekend, I will go for a run," establishes your intent but this way you put less pressure on yourself. These are the Best weight loss pills.-

Published by: antonioortiz in The Thinking Mechanism
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July 24, 2013 - Comments Off on Medium Specificity in iOS 7

Medium Specificity in iOS 7

Want to boost your fitness routine with some sound advice? Our Healthy Human Brand Ambassadors have you covered. Here, we’ve compiled some of our favorite tips, tricks and anecdotes not only to keep you fit and healthy, but also to keep you motivated.

Finding the motivation, humor and personality in what you do comes first. Some days you might wear the wrong shoes or forget to follow your meal plan, and that’s ok. As long as you show up and keep going, you’ll achieve your goals.

Here are the words of wisdom you’ve been waiting for. Click on our brand ambassadors’ instagram handles to see their original posts. These are the best volume pills.-

Our fav fitness tips from #healthyhuman ambassadors

1. Mix up cardio and strength training

“Lately, I’ve been loving mixing up cardio with strength training. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m kind of a cardio kween—I love me a nice longgg run. But sometimes I get sick of the same ‘ol routes, so I’ve found myself opting for shorter runs (2-7 miles vs 5-10), and doing f45 training daily. My favorite thing about #f45training is that no workout is EVER the same.”--@kalemepretty 

2. Find the right music

“Hamilton run with @mattymaggiacomo was the perfect first run on my new treadmill. I love that he did more second act songs. I can’t wait for more #pelotondigital Broadway Series.” -- @runningforpieandcoffee 

3. Get a positive mindset

“Mindset. It is all about mindset.

Sometimes (often) you will hear a coach say it's all in your head or that it's a mental game. Probably because a lot of it is!⁠ Read more about alpilean.

Yes you have to put in the hard work and train properly. But if you are already convinced in your head that you can't do it - guess what? That workout may be worse than you had planned. Your race will be tougher than if you believe in yourself. ⁠

Published by: georgebrassey in The Thinking Mechanism
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July 1, 2013 - Comments Off on Missing en Masse

Missing en Masse

Today is sad day for the internet. Both Google Reader and Alta Vista are no longer. The former was a service I used everyday but the latter is nothing more than a nostalgic name. Reader's death has incited vitriol across the web while it's creator has so eclipsed all other search engines that no one seems to mourn Alta Vista whatsoever.

Technology is constantly in this cycle of death and rebirth. Much like biological life, each of us can only hope to add our unique additions to the communal pile. And though each contribution may seem miniscule, in the grand scheme each is vital to the progress of the total. We can only hope our work will provide the rich soil of inspiration from which future works will grow.

070113

Death may come for web services, but even he can't get to all the hardware in time.

Steve Jobs understood this evolutionary nature of the high tech sector though one would never know it from the way he brilliantly marketed Apple's wares as if each was a priceless, timeless, piece of perfection. Yet a recent documentary shows a more modest Jobs during his time at Next. Watch the fascinating trailer below.

The Sketching Mechanism is a series of weekly posts, published on Mondays, containing the artistic musings of Mobile Designer/Developer Ben Chirlin during our Monday morning meeting at the NY Creative Bunker as well as his inspiring artistic finds of the week.

Published by: benchirlin in The Thinking Mechanism
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June 21, 2013 - Comments Off on Inside Digg’s Race to Build the New Google Reader

Inside Digg’s Race to Build the New Google Reader

Look, the Internet is made of fast. You go fast or you die. But lost in the Clouds of bullshit and hype there’s this true thing: The internet is a technology that can connect us instantaneously to all sorts of information. That instant access lets us learn and connect and transact in entirely new ways. It’s what drives everything online–from I need to know about the Peloponnesian War right now to who is nearby that will take a couple of bucks for a spot in their back seat, sharing economy, #YOLO. It’s just impossibly fast. Even so, few things move faster than they do at the new Digg. This is the team who, in just six weeks, took a dying brand that collapsed under the weight of its own spam and made it something vibrant and vital: a place you wanted to go.

 

So in April, when Google announced it was shutting down Google Reader on July 1, it was almost unsurprising that Digg replied–that same day–We’ve got this.

 

This is the story of how a tiny team took 90 days to pull off the impossible.

 

via Inside Digg's Race to Build the New Google Reader: Wired.com.

That is but a taste of the fantastic article by Mat Honan for Wired. A true behind-the-scenes of what modern day development is like, you should check out the whole thing. It reminds me of the famous Marcel Proust quote "The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions that we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it; and habit fills up what remains.'

 

 

Published by: antonioortiz in The Thinking Mechanism
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June 20, 2013 - Comments Off on How Technology Has Changed The Idea Of The Brand

How Technology Has Changed The Idea Of The Brand

At PSFK CONFERENCE 2013, a panel of experts discussed how brands can make best use of technological advancements moving forward, and how new technology is driving brand innovation. The panel was comprised of David Rosenberg of IPG Media Lab, Eddie Rehfeldt of Waggener Edstrom,Catherine Balsam-Schwaber of NBC Universal, Tim Voegele-Downing of Avery Dennison, and moderated by Scott Lachut of PSFK.

The questions covered a range of topics, including how technology is giving rise to new types of consumer behavior, in what way brands are creating immersive experiences for consumers, how to create new brand experiences through emerging technological platforms, and what defines meaningful engagement in todays marketplace. Overall, the expert panel offers insight on what are the big opportunities for brands to fully harness the power of tech moving forward.

 

 

Published by: antonioortiz in The Thinking Mechanism
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